Given Hennessy X.O’s dependence on aging (after all, the “X.O” stand for “extra old”) it figures that the iconic cognac would celebrate the passage of time. Last night the venerated label did just that, ringing in the Chinese New Year at with an East-meets West-themed celebration at sleek Chinese eatery DaDong in Manhattan.
Showcasing a hallucinatory blend of performances and potent cocktails, the theme highlighted the brand’s long-standing presence in the East (Hennessy X.O has been imported to China since 1872). The evening offered a mix of traditional and modern festivities, from a dragon dance to beats by DJ Alice Longyu Gao, who spun for an influencer-peppered crowd including Jamie Chung and Public School designer Dao-Yi Chow.
The cocktail menu also reflected an old-meets-new mentality; time-honored Chinese drinking habits (hot tea) mashed up with relatively modern innovations of western mixology (green tea ice cubes) for a specially crafted “Year of the Dog” cocktail, which fueled party-goers until 2 a.m. But following any late-night Year of the Dog celebration, we recommend a hair-of-the-dog classic: Hennessy X.O on the rocks.
Main image: Actor Bryan Greenberg and wife, actress Jamie Chung, attend Hennessy X.O’s Lunar New Year celebration at DaDong on February 28, 2018 in New York City (photo: courtesy of Hennessy X.O)
